benjaminrook - Tumblr blog

[benjaminrook]

starlit-lilies​:

~  ☀  ~

She watched, fascinated, as Ben pointed out areas he and his family had come from. Most of the text on the world map was too small for her to read quickly, so she was relying on Ben’s accuracy for this information. And then he asked where she was from and she rolled her eyes.

“Ha-ha,” she replied, shooting him a playfully sarcastic look. “Why, thank you for asking, I’m from…” she closed her eyes and drew her finger in circles over the map for a few seconds, randomly jabbing a place on the map. “Here!”

She opened her eyes and leaned forward, squinting to make out the letters. “Al — Algeria.” She leaned back and grinned up at Ben. “I’m from Algeria. They have great food there. 10/10 recommend once we, uh, have the chance to go on vacation.”

She watched him for a moment longer and turned back to the map, looking at all the X marks on random places in the world’s oceans. “But seriously, do you remember that scientist who went around calling the island ‘ecological nightmare stew’ because Meridium has something from every tropical place?” He’d been fun. RIP, as Libby would say. “Like an Indonesian flower, an African monkey, that golden frog from Puerto Rico that’s extinct in the Outside? That’s probably what all these X marks are for. Guessing where the island is.” 

She looked around, found a nubby pencil on the ground, and brought it back to Ben. “Want to make your guess? You gotta tell me your reasons first, though.”

-

Ben’s smile was securely in place, looking at Lily. A vacation to Algeria would certainly be an interesting choice, but maybe not the first place he’d want to take her to see outside of the island, unless of course they stuck to Algiers, along the Mediterranean. It was one of the many places he’d wanted to visit - he’d never gotten to the southern Mediterranean. On second thought, maybe it would be a good first place.

Ben’s eyebrows raised before saying, “marhaba!” greeting her in Arabic. He didn’t know much of the language, but a couple of his fraternity brothers had been native speakers, so he’d picked up a few words and phrases from them.

“I do remember that guy, I thought he was really cool.” Ben turned his attention back to the map. There were X’s... well, scattered a lot of places. 

“I don’t know... the boat I was on was supposed to be following like... this path,” Ben pointed on the map, but it just didn’t really make sense. Not with the other x’s and places marked. “But like, all around here are is the Ring of Fire-” Ben circled the Pacific ocean “so technically, an island could crop up without people knowing, maybe.” He tried to visualize the map as a sphere, making Hawaii, the Galapogos, and New Zealand closer in his mind. He could barely read the Equator on the map, but he roughly drew a line northeast of New Zealand until it was basically at the Equator. “So maybe... here-ish?” It didn’t make all that much sense, unless somehow there had been a volcano that hadn’t been mapped in yet quite a distance from all the known ones but.. it was as good a guess as any.

Ben returned his gaze to Lily’s face, ready to hear what she thought of his answer. His eyes squinted a bit, though, brows furrowing... there were colors reflecting in her eyes through the window his back was towards. Faint greens that shouldn’t be there in the night sky. For once, instead of asking questions first, Ben leaned over and blew out the candles and turned to look out into the night sky.

[benjaminrook]

akbartheolder​:

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“Reckon you like earth-magic better than air, then?” Emre asked, mild and curious.  Just making conversation, as they made their way along a human-trod path, that eventually thinned to a goat-path.  “You tried anything…dunno.  Earthy?”  Emre was deeply invested in water of course; and fire.  But air and earth magic was less comprehensible to him, even now.

“Libby was bloody brilliant with her earth-magic, she was.  Wonder what she’s got now.” He snorted, and smirked.  “Fire - ginger, innit.”

Emre gave a half-wave to Ben’s questions about fish and a ‘stocked lake’, whatever that meant.  “Them’s farm questions, bruv.  Best to ask Tomas, he knows what-for.  I just–”  Emre’s sentence stopped abruptly, and he turned away from Ben.  “I just do what I’m told to do.”

A beat, and then Emre was smiling mildly at Ben again.  “Tell Tomas - mandem likes ideas, if they’re clever enough…fancy yourself clever, bruv?”  He was teasing now, gentle in case Ben was the sensitive sort.

He grimaced at the idea of living on the bloody train.  “Nah.  I took the house at the end of the farm.  Me and Iyaz, innit.  Doctor’s got to be close to the farm, so.”  Emre eyed Ben in a new way: considering, weighing him.  Reasonably good-looking, Emre thought; a nice little pale American bloke - so Iyaz’s type for sure.  “You met my Yazzer yet, mate?”

Ben placed a hand on a tree, likely to try and sense something.  Earth and air; they could sense.  So Emre cupped an ear, made the attempt to listen for…grass being chewed?  A bleat? He wasn’t sure.  Then –

– “Bloody hell!” Emre jolted in surprise, then tugged Ben’s sleeve.  “Come.”  Emre hopped lightly up the incline as it got steeper and steeper.  He put an arm out to pause Ben behind some rocks, and quietly pointed.

A clutch of goats - about four or five of them, and two rams were embroiled in a vicious battle of horns.  Emre searched the goats, making a disgruntled noise.  “Oi, this all a goat sausage party then? You see any girl-goat? Flipping hell.” 

-

“Yeah, honestly, it’s like... it’s really cool. Other than the headaches...” Ben was much more open to embracing the earth attunement than he’d been with his original one, and in a way, he missed air. At the same time, though, earth felt so much more... easy to use to help others. Or himself. He liked being attuned to the earth.

Ben realized at that point that Emre really was just a worker bee, much like him, though he’d always been expected to have ideas, very few were original back at home.  Mostly the things he’d been told to think, so having some original ideas felt... well, a bit vulnerable.

“No, I mean, I don’t know, maybe? Just thinking out loud, I guess.” Ben was feeling a bit sensitive, a bit embarrassed, about even voicing it. Something he needed to work on.

“I don’t think I have.” Plenty of people talked about Iyaz, but he hadn’t directly interacted. “Seems nice, though?” It wasn’t meant to be a question, he just wanted to offer that he didn’t have any ill-will towards Emre’s brother. 

Then, he was being pulled along by Emre into the woods, much faster than Ben would’ve appreciated. It was a violent scene, but then, it probably wasn’t at all, and just appeared that way because Ben knew very little about goats. Other than...

Ben’s palm went to the earth, trying to make sense of all the vibrations running up from his feet. “Wait, look-” Ben pointed a bit further off, away from the group of goats. There was a ewe, safely grazing beyond a bush, and it even looked, seemed, felt?...

“I think she’s pregnant!” That would be... well, incredible. And the ewe was rather... rotund. He didn’t know what a pregnant ewe looked like, but it certainly didn’t look... not pregnant.

“If you can get over there without spooking her, I think... I think I can distract the rams.” Maybe he was feeling bold with his earth attunement, but... he had some confidence, now. He should at least try.

[benjaminrook]

kazxraval​:

Current A southern beach on… South Beach Closed with @benjaminrook​ Kaz stood staring up at his newest project, using his hands to shield the sun. When he saw someone approach, his hands cupped over his mouth instead to call out. “Benjamin!” Perfect timing. Helpful lad. New attunement that would come in handy for what Kaz had in mind. He threw in a rare smile. “You’re not busy, are you?” He was about to be. “I could use some help.”

-

“Kaz?” For one reason or another, Ben was surprised to be greeted in such a friendly manner by Kaz. Surprised, but not disappointed. In fact, he wasn’t busy at the moment - with some help, he’d made thread. Or something like it. And while it was time consuming, he’d made enough progress for the time being to do other things.

“Oh yeah?” Ben’s smile was genuine in return. He did note that this sounded... well, more felt, different, without their air attunements to change their hearing. And speaking. So much taken for granted...

“What are you building?” Ben surveyed the small area. “Shit, you really did burn down your house, didn’t you?” He assumed that was why this project was taking place.

[benjaminrook]

sagetomashardy​:

..&&..

Tomas eyed Ben, tongue tucked into his cheek as he considered each thing the young man said and the way he said them. Lots of pauses, some stammering, but at least he admitted what he couldn’t do and paired it with a promise that he could learn new things. That was good. On the North side of the island, Tomas had the patience and the time to take hesitant people on board if they wanted to work on the farm, easing out of them what they were interested in, starting them off slow, getting them working as independently as possible. He was a teacher, it was habit to him. 

New Meridium didn’t have that expansiveness of time and thirty years behind the farmland. Tomas would get back to his professorial ways one day, God willing and the creek don’t rise, but for now? He had to move faster.

“Everything’s going on at the farm,” Tomas answered brusquely, assured that this was truth. What could possibly be more important? “And if you play your cards right, you could get in it.” He nodded his head towards the patch he’d been marking out, waiting until Ben came closer to point at the furrows in the ground. “See these? I’m demarcating where I want to start up a new project that I was never able to get off the ground – so to speak – back at the old farm. My Whatsit Garden.”

Tomas held Ben’s arms, directing him into two of the furrows, which once he was standing in them became obvious that they were about hip-width apart. “You’re air attuned like me, right? Shuffle along and use your attunement to drag lines in the ground. I’ll show you where to go for how I want this land divided up.”

-

Ben wasn’t sure about “playing his cards right,” but he was committed to helping others... it was just difficult, intimidating, when he had no expertise. “What’s It Garden...” Ben parroted, looking over the pattern. Sure, yeah... he could do that. Right? Couldn’t he?

“Yeah, sounds... good.” Hands over the furrows, Ben took a deep breath in and concentrated. He didn’t often purposefully use his attunement, so the first contact of moving air with the ground was shaky, messy, a bit too deep, a little too wide. Instead of giving up, though, Ben furrowed his brow and concentrated until it was mostly even and walked forward slowly, pulling the lines along. Definitely not perfect, but... hopefully not a waste of time.

“So what goes in a What’s It Garden?” Ben asked once he felt confident enough to attempt multi-tasking. His eyes scanned forward, looking for a marker for where to stop. “Do you always plant directly in the ground, or have you ever done raised beds?” His mom used to love HGTV, and his parents’ backyard had multiple raised gardens - each planted with flowers, not food, but hey.... potatoes, or berries, or something like that could be a cool thing to try. 

[benjaminrook]

akbartheolder​:

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Emre studied Ben, as he ambled closer.  A pleasant enough fellow.  Someone who Emre didn’t really know; and conversely, someone who knew fuck-all about Emre as well.  That was a comfort for Emre right now, this not knowing. They had a task to do together, and Ben seemed savvy enough for Emre to depend on for the task.

Hopefully, they’d get a goat out of this too.  Something beneficial to bring back, and remind the farm that Emre Akbar was a good man. 

So Emre put on a pleasant smile, nodding as Ben warned him about the boar.  “Trust, bruv.  I seen them tusks innit.  I’ve run from them bastards.  But with my new air-magic, reckon I can hop up into a tree quick-like.  What’d you end up with then, mate?”

It seemed at this point, this magic-switchery was the least of Emre’s problems.  He didn’t like air as much as he loved being a waterbaby; but he could live with it.  He could manipulate it to function; and he’d figured out how to weaponize it, if needed.  Good enough.  

They headed into the thicket.  “Just one goat, man.  No fucking way I’m dragging goat-plural to the farm.  One at a time yeah?  A girl, then maybe we go back another time and catch her a friend.  Goat like friends, yeah…”

Emre looked at Ben.  “Where you settled yourself then?”

-

Ben looked over at Emre, quite interested in what he was saying. Ben had always Ben so hesitant with his air attunement, mostly out of irrational fear that investing in it too much would, for whatever reason, keep him from ever going home. It was a one of the few final superstitions he had held, but with the switch he was beginning to realize... well, he’d just been shooting himself in the foot. But hearing other people talk about, and learn the air for the first time... it seemed less frightening. And his head felt so much more quiet without the extended hearing, replaced with some nearly constant. dull headaches from the vibrations of the earth.

Ben gave out a warm laugh. “Yeah, I’m sure you could!” He did try to keep his voice down, though, not wanting to spook the wildlife. “I’ve got earth now, and it seems pretty nice, honestly. I like working with plants.” 

For probably not the first time, Ben started wondering if there were wild chickens on the island, but this time, he realized he truly did not know the natural, wild habitat of a chicken. “Fair enough. Are there any other animals you’re looking for, for the farm? Maybe not now, but eventually? Or maybe like... I don’t know, fishing’s usually pretty good, but what about making a stocked lake or something, for fish?”

That could be cool. Probably unnecessary, but if it was, Ben could maybe make one for himself, just to lessen the amount of fishing trips he was taking.

“Oh, I’m down in the low settlement - more towards the coast than the river, since there’s fewer people that way. Kinda close to the farm, actually. What about you? I heard some people talking about settling in on the train, even, but I don’t think they’ve actually done it...”

With the brush getting thinner, Ben started walking slowly, more purposefully, keeping his ears out for any animal noises out of habit. He wouldn’t hear them until much closer, now... without his attunement... He placed his hand on the nearest tree and he could feel it buzzing with life, possibly birds up in the branches out of sight.

[benjaminrook]

time: mid-morning location: the woods with: @diggorymoradamboise

“So, I’ve been making cordage with like... I don’t know the technical words, but bark and palm fronds..." Ben explained, looking around the area to find more materials. He was more than glad for the company; for some reason, he felt less judged, or fewer expectations from Diggory, so he was looking forward to this excursion.

“But it always ends up pretty big - I wanna make something more like, thread? Or string?” Floss? Even with the more recent.... developments and excitement, he wanted to get started on the thread for Joaquin’s rosary. Perhaps Joaquin could even have back-ups. That would be nice! He wouldn’t mind finding some animal bones or other useful things, either. 

“What is it you’re looking for?” Ben inquired. Diggory, to his knowledge, and spent a good chunk of time alone in the jungle, and from what he’d heard, they had quite a few useful skills. He didn’t want to assume Diggory would share their secrets, plenty of people wanted straight trades rather than sharing knowledge, but surely there was something Ben could help with in exchange. 

[benjaminrook]

starlit-lilies​:

~  ☀  ~

He tried to be subtle about it, but they were close enough that Lily still saw him try to make the candle flame bigger. Without saying anything, she fetched a second candle and held its wick to the first’s flame.

“Purgatory? Isn’t that the place where you stand around and wait for God to pick you up to go to Heaven?” She smiled. “Doesn’t look to me like you’re standing around and waiting for anything.”

His quip about killing ghosts made her grin, and she shrugged. “Well, not sure if you’d kill one, since they’re ghosts and all, but you’d definitely have better aim than you did this morning. And sure, I’ve seen… well, I don’t know if I’d call them ghosts. But, I mean, you saw Matthew too, right? When his spirit led everyone out of the tunnels? And then there’s those stories about the Leander crew showing up in the middle of the jungle when people went missing.”

She went over to the map, holding her spare candle up. The world looked so small up close. She’d thought it would be bigger. She half-turned to look at Ben. “Hey, where on here were you from, before the island?” 

-

Ben chose not to respond to her query about Purgatory - it was too personal, something he’d even wrestling with since arriving. Was he dead, and awaiting the judgment of God? Truthfully, Ben held so much guilt that he doubted he deserved in that. ,He remembered an interesting classmate he’d once had, who posed that Earth was purgatory, and they were all suffering trials to determine their worthiness, if they’d learned enough, mixing reincarnation with the idea of a divine higher power. He remembered his fraternity brother, Josh, who strongly believed Hell did not exist - it’d made him a kind, gentle person, despite his bravado, maintaining all the tradition and culture of his Jewish heritage without being a total asshole. Ben shrugged the memories away.

“I don’t know WHAT I saw with Matthew,” Ben admitted. Yes, it was completely contradictory to both not believe in ghosts and to have seen a figure leading them to safety. A trick of the mind, a... group hallucination.... an angel? If Ben spent too long trying to rectify the multitude of beliefs and experiences he’d be paralyzed, and if he could accept his convoluted reality as it was, then... he’d best not create an existential crisis for himself. The human brain could convince itself of anything, really. 

Ben walked over to the map - it felt so surreal, to look at the world in print. Standing next to Lily, his left arm rose to the middle of her back, resting lightly while he leaned in, looking over the faded lines. “I’m from about here,” he noted, pointing to where he thought Springfield, IL would be - it was hard to tell. “And my family is from... Ireland, England...” he pointed out each rough estimate of the areas, “and some Cherokee, around here.” He pointed back to the United States. “But mostly Irish Catholic. People never seemed to believe me though, because my hair and eyes are dark.”

Teasingly, he looked over at Lily. “Where on this map are you from?” As if maybe she could ascertain their current location. “But I guess... it’s where we’re from, now, right?” He was torn between embracing this new life and missing the old one, but Ben knew, deep down, if he didn’t let the past go, he’d be that exact same person, and he didn’t want that. “Probably like.... here?” He gestured above the map, making swirling motions with his hand.

[benjaminrook]

manojoaquin​:

.

In theory, it was quite sweet of Ben to consider the tensile strength of anything he did weave for Joaquin, to prevent strangulation should Joaquin find himself tangled in a tree again.  The reality was indeed very surreal; but Joaquin tended to exist in an eclectic world of his own.  

Mostly because the real world was so difficult to navigate.  It was just easier to avoid it whenever possible.

“Ah!  Madi’s son!  Um…Madi Byrd?  She works on the farm, and she’s built an apiary.  With bees.  And honey…”  Joaquin hummed in delight at the thought of the golden sweet treat.  “She is just setting up her hives again, but I’m sure if you ask her, she’ll be able to assist you with getting wax, once the bee colonies are established.  Perhaps you could even assist her as a trade, hm?  You seem a capable young man, dear Ben.”

Joaquin smiled, warmed at the way Ben listed off his companions in the jungle.  “It is so good to have people you can rely on.  I truly hope you find the same with everyone else.  The more people who can look after each other and care for each other, the better I believe.  That is what community is for, is it not?”

Gleeful to talk about Matthew, Joaquin exclaimed happily.  “What would you like to know about Matthew Alphonsus?”  He frowned in confusion though, at the mention of ‘cult’.  It wasn’t the first time someone had said that to him specifically regarding those who called themselves ‘Alphonsians’ and gathered to share memories and celebrate Matthew’s legacy.

“I’m afraid I don’t know of any cult.  I believe people might just be suspicious of anything new and good, unfortunately.  Afterall, that is how Christianity began, is it not?  A group of people who simply wanted to celebrate God’s holy word and were persecuted for it by distrustful naysayers.”

“I’ll definitely do that.” Ben couldn’t help but smile - it was nice to build connections, and he’d been so hesitant to before, like it’d taken the two years to realize he wasn’t waking up from this dream state. 

“Yeah, that’s fair. I dunno, I guess it’s weird that I believe in Saints and yet, I guess like, it seems like some people see Matthew as a saint, and I just... never really knew much about him. Do you think he could be a saint?” Ben didn’t know what answer he actually wanted to hear. It felt almost blasphemous to elect someone else in his mind as a Saint of God, someone who had lived while he lived, and yet, surely others had felt that same way when all the Saints were named. Faith wasn’t very universally explored on the island, he found, so there were lots of questions he had, some with very very few answers. Hell, he didn’t even know if Matthew believed in God. 

Was that even necessary?

“I, uh... I also wanted to ask...” He felt hesitant, sharing this vulnerability, seeking spiritual guidance from someone other than a priest, but then... well hell, wasn’t Joaquin the closest thing at the time? Maybe? Could he rectify that, take his words with a grain of salt? Ben just really needed guidance, reassurance. All of the things he’d run away from when he jumped off that boat.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about the Book of Job. This.. incredibly loyal, faithful man, getting tested over and over, and I don’t - I mean, I do, I know I’m not that strong. I wasn’t. There was a path laid before me, but I’m not on it. I’m here. And I guess it feels like... I rejected that, and I don’t...” Ben sighed for a moment, rectifying his thoughts. “I guess I don’t know why I’m not dead, instead of... here. I feel like... I left what I was supposed to be doing?” Ben looked over thoughtfully, wondering what the man would make of that.

[benjaminrook]

starlit-lilies​:

closed with @benjaminrook​ at the fisherman’s house. time is fake. don’t worry about it

It had been a calm day and was shaping up to be a calm night. Perfect for spearfishing lessons, and swimming, and now that night had fallen, verifying just how haunted it was. Lily smiled as she lit one of the healthier-looking candles, their only source of light besides the moon.

The house groaned and her smile widened just a little bit. She turned toward Ben. Most of the house had been cleared out, stripped even of sheets and curtains, leaving behind furniture too large to carry and the map that was tacked across the wall, peppered with marks. The high tide had come in already, and they had about several hours until low tide started.

“There,” she said, walking over to the bed—sheetless, pillow-less, mostly just a mattress—and putting the taper on the end table next to it. “Now we’re not completely in the dark. You think we’ll meet any ghosts?”

The place was creepy, especially in the dark, and Ben didn’t care for it one bit. Trying to be subtle, he used his air attunement, gesturing with his hand to feed a bit more air to the flame, helping it grow a bit to cast more light until he realized it began casting even more sinister shadows against the walls. That would be a nope from him. 

Ben didn’t often use his attunement, so he did feel a bit of satisfaction that it worked as he hoped, but of course, as always, it had gone bad. He soured it all, as he suspected he would with that power over and over again. No, best to keep things simple, lest he ruin everything somehow.

“I never really believed in ghosts,” Ben admitted. Everything was fine. He just wasn’t a fan of the dark. “Demons, yeah, and angels, saints... Never ghosts, though. Unless this really is purgatory or something, in which case, I’m still not too eager to meet them. But hey, at least after the spearfishing lessons, maybe I could kill one?” He doubted it, but he was joking, of course. His shoulders were heavy, tired, after such a long - but certainly informative - day. After rinsing in the ocean, he smelled of salt water rather than sweat, same as the breeze wafting around the small house.  

“Have you ever seen a ghost?”

[benjaminrook]

akbartheolder​:

Location: south of the farm Time: early-morning

@benjaminrook​

“You Benjamin, then?” Emre prompted, watching the other.  He vaguely recognized him as one of Libby’s group from the jungle, not that those old divisions mattered now.  But it accounted at least for why Emre hadn’t really gotten to know the other chap in any great detail, aside from knowing he existed and seemed affable enough.

“How long was you in the jungle with Libby’s group then?  Think you can manage navigating about a little forest?”  Emre motioned towards the copse of trees.  Nothing as dense as the jungle, but still expansive, trees tall and ancient.  “I need a guide.  Word is someone spotted wild goats wandering about the south coast innit.  Or wild pig.”  Emre’s lip curled.  “I’m hoping it’s goat.”

Taking a breath, Emre released it slowly. He readjusted his backpack, and the length of rope coiled over his shoulder.  “I just don’t want to get lost, yeah?  If you can help with that, and I’ll manage the goats, right.  Take them back alive, get them on the farm.  We want a girl-goat, right.  One what makes milk, like.”

“That’s me,” Benjamin greeted Emre. He was one of the inhabitants Ben had found so interesting from afar, given his accent, his brother... “I mean, I got here about two years ago, but I think you have to acclimate pretty quickly.” Ben shrugged - he definitely never felt like an expert at anything, not when others like Libby, Tomas, and the long-timers had much more varied experience, but yeah, he could navigate a few trees. (Preferably avoiding the monkeys with fleas Joaquin had joked about). 

Ben was relieved that while this was a trapping expedition, he wouldn’t be expected to kill anything. He really didn’t care for it, even though he logically knew it had to be done. 

“Yeah for sure! You manage the goat and I got the trees.” Ben also had several pockets and his own bag, useful for collecting anything they might find along the way. “If we run into boars or something, though, best thing we can do is climb if we piss them off...” Boars were not to be messed with if his personal experience and history classes had taught him anything. King killers. 

“You only trying to catch the one, or is this a ‘get as many as possible’ kind of thing?” He nodded towards the trees; they’d have to take a windy path through if they wanted to find anything. He knew he wasn’t a wrangler by any means, but the thought of Emre walking up to the farm as some proverbial shepherd was an entertaining thought. 

[benjaminrook]

manojoaquin​:

“And it has meaning for you, I am sure,” Joaquin said warmly.  “Possessions like that can be so special.  We are left with so little to claim from the world outside of Meridium, hm?”  

He looked around, then leaned in and used a lowered voice, to keep it a secret.  “Here is advice: hang the rosary around your neck.  It is easier to keep close to your heart that way.  It is not sacrilegious if it is done for the right reasons.  I myself used to wear it that way all the time!  Oh!  Except be careful about falling out of trees, because sometimes then God will punish your hubris and use your rosary for it.”  Joaquin mimed being strangled, then laughed. 

“It’s happened to me before.  Thrice, actually. Oh, but I’m feeling much better now.”

Joaquin had learned how to weave and braid cords in his old life, in the 1800s.  Picking out ropes and also braiding ropes with all manner of natural materials.  Joaquin never liked the work though; his fingers were thick and clumsy and he often made shoddy workmanship.  So despite his 165 years of life experience, he nevertheless feigned innocence and curiousity at this youthful child.  “Is that so?  It would have to be very thin,” he added, like a finicky grandpa hoping Ben would make one for him.  “Ideally as thin as this fross, oui?  Your fingers, they must be so deft! I’m sure you could make something similar, and I would love to see that.”

For now though, getting a nicely carved Cross was more important, and also a way to see if Ben was as good with his pocket knife as he was proud of it.

“Libby seemed to despise everything about the jungle.  It is good to see you found positive aspects about it.  When I was lost in the jungle, I found many good things about it as well.  The sounds of bird calls, the plentiful mushrooms.  The thickly laden trees.  And the monkeys! Ha ha!  When they threw things at me.  Little devils, they left me with many a flea.”  Joaquin scratched under his robe cheerfully, reminiscent of ghost fleas.

As for ‘safe’, Joaquin made a sidelong noise as he continued to bead.  “Were you ever truly safe back in your world?  A horse could have trampled you - or I should say perhaps a vehicular automotive, no?  You could have gotten sick or had an accident.  And in the jungle, Libby and a few others claimed many a danger, day and night, with little chance to rest or recovery.  Out here…is it any different?  Perhaps it is the fear of this place that makes you ask that question, my boy.”

Joaquin paused, looking up towards Alphonsus Ridge.  “But there is one thing I do believe.  Matthew Alphonsus died and sacrificed himself, so that we may be brought to this new side of the island.  All of us, together.  Matthew knew a great many secrets of the island, that he never imparted before his untimely death.  And he loved us all - even those he never got a chance to know.  If he guided us to South Beach, then he had good reason to, yes?  We may never know, but I put my faith and trust in God first, the Holy Trinity of course, la Madre definitely, and Matthew Alphonsus.  And then there are all of our saints to protect us too!  Ahhh we are truly blessed, Ben my boy.”

The amount of confusion and almost bewilderment at Joaquin’s words couldn’t help but surface on Ben’s features. It was nice to have reassurance that perhaps he could wear it around his neck - something his parents would surely disapprove of, back when... well, back in his other life. But the idea of being strangled by a rosary? FALLING OUT OF A TREE? THREE TIMES? It was hilarious, absurd, something he would never have heard of anywhere but here. And yet, Joaquin said it like he was forecasting the weather. 

What a world they lived in.

“I don’t know if it’ll be exactly as thin as floss,” Ben admitted. It wouldn’t be very sturdy, but hell, at least it wouldn’t strangle the man. Instead, it’d more than likely just break. “But if I can find some bees, or wax, or maybe even like... animal fat to coat it in, it would still be smooth.” He already knew he was going to make some for Joaquin, but he didn’t want anyone expecting miracles from him. Might as well just pray to the Saints if they wanted more floss to just appear.

How did Joaquin recount the jungle in such a... whimsical way? He’d gotten fleas, and was giggling about it? Monkeys were straight up terrifying. 

“I don’t really like things I can’t predict, and monkeys are definitely some of those things. But, I had like... Libby, and Lily, and Vince, and...” he could’ve named all of the Castaways, knowing how much easier they made it for him to even exist. But yes, just as Joaquin had pointed out, fear was a huge motivator. 

“I find that really interesting,” Ben mused, continuing to work with his hands. “How your faith has evolved - Could you tell me more about Matthew? And like... I don’t know, I’ve heard people talking about a cult and different things around the island... I just feel like I know so little, and that’s my own fault, but you’ve seen so much...?”

[benjaminrook]

tamyrawilliams​:

“Alright, if you do this, you’re going to have to do it right,” Tamyra said with her hands on her hips as she took in the scene. The scene being Benjamin with a long stick with a jar hanging from the top of it with fireflies flying in it.

“That means the light has to be above my head at all times, but not right above it. I don’t want your hands suddenly dipping and hitting me in the head. It has to be high enough above me to give me a proper amount of spotlight. Which, speaking of,” she added, “if you could figure out a way to make the light more visible in the daylight. Not sure how, because I don’t want to just be in darkness, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

A pause as she looked Ben up and down. “Can you carry a bag around with you too, by any chance? So I wouldn’t have to worry about my water bottles. That would be lovely.” She said it would, but she was already giving him the two bottles she had with him.

- @tamyrawilliams​

How had Ben gotten into this situation? Oh right - by volunteering to help with something he wasn’t fully prepared to do. Tamyra needed someone to help her with lighting, and for some reason Ben thought a couple of mud runs and club soccer prepared him well enough to hold something for an indefinite amount of time. He was doing his best to listen to instructions, but he felt like her needs were a bit... specific? Impossible? Well, he’d find out.

“You want a spotlight in the daytime?” Ben muttered under his breath. It was a genuine question, but he didn’t really want her answer. He supposed he could break whatever glass was left in the train car to get some reflective materials, but between this and the farm, he wasn’t sure how he could manage his time....

Then, water bottles were shoved in his hand. Luckily, he did carry a bag with him - homemade, usually just for larger miscellaneous items, so it fit the bill. He shoved them in in and placed it across his back.

“Can I ask what the goal is?” He regretted asking immediately. He didn’t know too much about Tamyra because she scared him. But then again, Ben had been lectured by enough women that he could probably handle the scrutiny he expected.

[benjaminrook]

libbyblum​:

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ

“What section,” Libby echoes – and she’s not taunting, just made curious by this particular turn of phrase. It’s not a hard thing to do. Well, it might’ve been a matter of months ago, but now that she’s sleeping in a bed in a high house rather than on the jungle floor, Libby’s a little, well, perkier. More willing to experiment. “It looks to me like it goes off of arrival,” she offers. “But… not sure. I just know ‘cause I know that he–” She points to Matthew Alphonsus now, toward the tippy top of the thing. “Got here pretty damn early. I do wonder, though…”

Her gaze strays inevitably to the empty space at the bottom of the obelisk. Waiting to be filled? She sighs. “Nevermind. Anyway, yeah, it’d make sense that you wouldn’t know many.” A beat as she frowns. “Wish I knew less. But that’s Labyrinth living for you – oh, look at you!”

She’s a little impressed when Ben takes initiative – which maybe isn’t the right response, but it’s a response all the same. “Mm, nah,” Libby shakes her head after a moment though, putting out her hand and wiggling her fingers to indicate she wants the knife. “My potentially dumb idea, I might as well try it out.”

At first, it seems like it’s not even worth it. Libby’s borrowed knife doesn’t even scratch at the surface. “Huh,” she mutters to herself, and maybe should take it as a sign, but she doesn’t. Instead she doubles down, putting more force into it, making a little noise of success when she finally breaks the shiny rock surface.

And then she’s making another noise entirely – a yelp as she feels like she’s yanked backward or maybe shoved away from the obelisk. The vines from the jungle, she reasons, remembering all too well being yanked back into the Labyrinth against her will not long ago. But when Libby raises herself onto her palms and looks around, frantic, panicked, panting… there’s nothing. “What the fuck? Did something grab me?”

⋘ @libbyblum​ ⋙

Ben listened while she spoke - he never knew if what he was saying was going to offend someone, and sometimes, their reaction took him off-guard. He felt sorry for saying it, which was why he kept looking. When he found his name, he didn’t say anything. It felt... disappointing? It was hard to describe how he felt, seeing his name, the weight of predestination bearing down on him. Was this always supposed to be? But no, there was room. Perhaps fate had not intervened, and instead it had accommodated.

He handed her the knife, concealing his own horror as she struck its hard surface. At first, nothing happens. He felt some relief, even as she brought her hand down for a second blow. But when she flew backwards without provocation, he felt stunned.His first instinct was to reach out to grab hold of her and keep her from being pulled away, but luckily the force stopped once she was a distance from the obelisk. 

“I don’t - I think something pushed you?” His gaze passed around the area. Nothing. All seemed calm, other than a subtle, sharp ringing in his ears that Ben couldn’t place. All he knew was it sounded... angry?  That didn’t seem right. But the vibes... they were definitely off. 

Bravery wasn’t something Benjamin would say he felt very often, but Libby’s bravery tended to rub off on those around her. He glanced at Libby, walking forward with intention, expecting to inspect the mark she’d made on its surface, but before he could reach a hand out to touch the stone he’s forced backwards, his feet swept out from under him. Perhaps it was his weight, compared to Libby’s, that had him hitting his chest hard against the ground and sliding backwards against it. Ouch. His breath was knocked out of him for a moment, and he rolled on his side to face Libby, coughing out a few breaths before speaking.

“Is that thing protecting itself?” Immediately Ben felt concerned that maybe the stone could hear him. Ridiculous, but then, all of this was ridiculous.

[benjaminrook]

kazxraval:

Kaz came to the surface entirely oblivious to Benjamin’s struggle at the stairs. He heard a tremor in the other’s voice. Noticed the awkward way Ben’s hands folded behind his head. Wound like a string tuned way too tight, ready to break. But hell, look where they were.

He swam forward, shook his head, answered with the utmost seriousness (even if he wasn’t serious at all). “Mm. Can’t reveal where I source my sunglasses from. Trade secret.” Kaz waited until he reached the stairs to say more. He climbed out of the water and raked through his hair, untangling a few waves. His gaze turned back to the water. “Let me check my schedule.” A beat. Clearly there was no schedule. “Got nothing tomorrow. But no rush either…” 

His voice trailed off. One dive. Kaz had accomplished something at least. More dives were needed under his belt, and a life line too. Rattled wasn’t a word in his vocabulary, but diving around the stairs was eerie. Unsettling. Creepy as fuck, really. As if someone was watching, waiting perhaps to follow him back up the steps. 

Did Kaz want to walk and talk? Not really, however initially he had been on his way to a fishing hole anyway. Couldn’t stop Ben from moving there either. As he remembered, he grabbed up his fishing pole, spear, and bait bucket with a small, loose net wrapped around the handle. Or do you have some more scuba-diving to do? If the comment ground rougher than Ben meant, Kaz didn’t notice. Kaz’s filter functioned in certain situations, otherwise words rolled out blunt and hard-edged, no matter how he genuinely felt. “No, no scuba diving. I gotta…” 

Make a plan. To get over lingering fears of the water. Possibly a huge waste of time, as most things were on Meridium. “I’m not super keen on being in the water anymore. Used to be though.” The biggest travesty, especially when being surrounded by it. 

He finally made the turn to see Ben. Kaz squinted. Something seemed off. Too pale in the face, too red around the collar. Chatter about the sea stairs was pretty common, he’d overheard enough people speculating on it. Ben hadn’t. Which was fine, as Kaz hadn’t seen anything specific to report back. “We can go.” A hand gestured out for Benjamin to lead the way. “But, ah. Did you call out my name? When I was down there?” 

The single and familiar syllable had sounded far too clear. Much too close to his ear and not muffled by air and water. Just his imagination, perhaps. Didn’t hurt to ask. 

-

@kazxraval​

“Tomorrow sounds good, then,” Ben agreed. He didn’t like having things left unplanned, things on his list that weren’t able to be checked off or marked as ‘in progress.’ So even though Kaz may not feel a rush in the endeavor, Ben did. Plus, he liked Kaz’s company, whether it was reciprocated or not. Something just felt familiar about him, maybe because of the appearance of his age, or how different it was to talk with someone who seemed so unabashedly honest - Ben couldn’t remember a time when it wasn’t impressed upon him that his words had meaning and power and he needed to consider them carefully. 

Now? Talking took a lot of energy that Ben no longer had. Being on the island wasn’t all too different from the Real World when it came to Ben’s anxiety - he’d been put on an as needed medication, though he was recommended for a daily dose, but he still didn’t utilize it much because of his own expectations of himself. That, and his parents. God wouldn’t give him anything he couldn’t handle, and he never felt he could share the struggles he faced. Did he even realize it himself? No.  No, everyone had worries and fears, and they all had to face them. Still, some hydroxyzine could go a long way for him in the sand and the jungle. He was never willing to be dependent on any kind of substance for relief, but he remembered the feeling of alcohol. Never weed, though his fraternity brothers suggested it. Ben couldn’t fail a drug test, and the thought had always prevented him, even when he wasn’t being tested. public perception was everything.

He was surprised to hear Kaz didn’t like the water, though he didn’t know if he should be. They didn’t know each other too well, and it didn’t really come up. “I don’t really like it either,” he admitted. Hell, it was more than half the reason he’d been so worried about Kaz being gone, however long or brief it had actually been. 

Had he called out Kaz’s name? Ben wasn’t too sure if it had actually come out of his mouth, quite frankly, but he thought he had. He wasn’t planning on talking to Kaz about it, since he thought Kaz would just think he was foolish for his concern. He also didn’t quite know how to explain that he wasn’t sure if he had.

“Yeah? I mean, I hadn’t seen you in a minute, and I don’t know, wanted to make sure you were alright.” Had Kaz really been able to hear him, through the water? That was cool. It gave Ben some relief, even, though he was still convinced he’d overreacted by about ten-fold. Now that he had everything in hand, he nodded towards the path and began walking to the next destination. Ben didn’t feel like himself; his energy had dipped, his usual positive demeanor had slipped and he wasn’t sure how to pull it back up. Perhaps he could only shoot for neutral, for now, until he was able to settle himself and get back together.

Still, it felt like there was an opening to learn more about Kaz, something unspoken that he was genuinely curious about whether or not they shared the experience, and honestly Ben had no idea if Kaz would ever give him the opportunity to ask again (not that it had been given, but he was definitely going to take it, regardless of the consequences or Kaz’s possible negative reaction). 

“Why don’t you like the water?” It felt abrupt to Ben, out of the blue, but he felt compelled to let the question spill over his lips. “Does it have to do with... how you got here?” That’s how it was for Ben. He’d never had a bad word to say about the ocean or swimming until he lived through the experience he never hoped to and ended up in the island. The currents meant absolute terror to Ben now. His voice was hardly a whisper, but he expected Kaz to hear it. He’d been reminded time and again Kaz was air attuned, and he heard everything, and this wasn’t something Ben necessarily intended for anyone else’s ears.

[benjaminrook]

starlit-lilies:

~  ☀  ~

“Am I what?”

She’d seen all the Castaways in various states of undress before, and vice versa, which they both well knew. Going swimming, doing laundry, getting injuries treated, things like that. But his tone made her feel defensive and flustered her, even though she knew he’d brought up potential lacks of shirts in the first place. (‘You don’t have to take me to the Lagoon to get my shirt off’? She refused to think of the deeper implications of that. For the moment.) “Oh, man. You’re done. You’re done. This conversation is done. I’m moving on and I refuse to answer that question. Aaaanyway. Where’s your tent, did you move it? I haven’t seen it ye—”

And then she saw the wooden structure in place of where his tent should’ve been. She stopped and turned to look at him, gesturing to the new house. “When did this happen? Look at you, having a proper house!”

- @starlit-lilies

“What? No! I have more questions!” Ben teased, but he let it go quickly. It was fun to tease her, and he was quite satisfied with the blush creeping across her face, but he didn’t want to push it and make her feel awkward. He did, however, actually have things he’d wanted to say, just to gauge her reaction. Especially since he didn’t think he’d ever be able to ask without the guise of joking around. Nothing too deep, just... they were close, and he’d gotten pretty attached to having her around. And occasionally, well... he wondered what her thoughts were about that. Or him. Or anything, really.

It’d have to wait until later. For now, there was a change of subject.

“I mean, it’s been happening,” Ben explained with a smile. “Did you want me to live in a tent forever?” It wasn’t the nicest of places, and there’d been trial and error, but he walked in and welcomed Lily inside. Personally, he thought he had a great view, and a little fire pit at the front that made the nights much less creepy. Even... cozy?

“If you wanna start the fire, I’ll grab some water from the back.” He had some stored freshwater, like most people, he assumed, back near the actual tent part of the place.

[benjaminrook]

sagetomashardy​:​

Tomas was pacing out a place some ways from the farm – northwest of it, actually, near the mountains on the way to that godawful train and not along the route to the high settlement. He wanted someplace that was out of the way, and as he saw Ben passing by he projected his voice with his attunement towards the young man. 

“Hey!” Tomas called. The air gave it the effect of a megaphone, and he grimaced slightly – that was a touch too loud – but it would be fine. Ben could be sort of skittish from what Tomas assumed but they were out here in the open, clearly nothing threatening, just one old farmer trying to catch his attention. 

“You busy?” Tomas asked, not leaving any room for a reply before he continued, “good. You ever built a fence? Or a trellis? Or set climbing stakes? Tilled soil? Done weeding?”

- @sagetomashardy​

Ben wasn’t good at trading - he was good at using his skills and gifting items to other people, though, simply because they wanted or needed it. He’d been on his way to meet someone to give them a gill net because hey, it was going to come in handy. Perhaps karma, in the end, would gift him some favors back in a time of need? And if not, well... that was fate. The only thing that still rang loudly in his head was the command to love thy neighbor as thyself (and a need to earn his value).

That, and Tomas’ voice in his ears. It startled him, but he regained composure pretty quickly when he set his eyes on the man.

Ben started walking over, hesitant to use his air attunement as Tomas had. “I, uh... no to everything but the weeding?” He’d made something similar to a fence in the labyrinth for protection, but Ben fully doubted a few stakes in the ground was what Tomas was talking about. “But... I learn pretty quickly. Is something going on at the farm?”

He hoped it wasn’t some disaster, like it’d all blown away - maybe it was just expanding! That would be great news for their group.

[benjaminrook]

The Devil ain’t a friend to no one.

It's like 2 A.M. and the bars all close at 10 in hell, that's a rule I made Anyway, you say you're too busy saving everybody else to save yourself And you don't want no help, oh well That's the story to tell

Called to the Devil and the Devil said quit, can't be bothered better handle your shit. Keep about your wits man, keep about your wits, know yourself and who you came in with